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Hester Prynne's Individuality in a Puritanical Community

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Hester Prynne's Individuality in a Puritanical Community [14] Years after the Spanish American war, Roosevelt the individual excluded from the community. As one of expressed regret: “I have always been unhappy, most the reverends in the community, Reverend Mr. unhappy, that I was not severely wounded in Cuba . Dimmesdale’s unresolved guilt isolates him from his in some striking and disfiguring way” (qtd. in Jenkinson parish. The community isolates Pearl because she has 77). an irrevocable connection to her mother and her [15] Roosevelt codified this hunting ethic in the Boone mother’s sin. Community is a singular thing, but it is and Crockett club, which he co­founded with naturalist made up of individuals. As soon as an individual rebels George Bird Grinnell in December 1887 (Jenkinson 75). from the group, as Hester does, the entire group must Among other requirements and qualifications needed to denounce the individual because she mars their image gain acceptance into the club, “members were sworn to as a whole, and as individuals. When it comes to maintain a strict code of honor—always to engage in a religion, a community must disapprove wholeheartedly, ‘fair chase,’ never to lie about a kill, and always to especially of Hester’s deviant sin. Ignoring the sin maintain a focus on natural history as well as hunting” implies acceptance and therefore approval. The (Jenkinson 75). Clubs such as this one also maintained community needs to show God and its church that it a level of dignity by drawing on the rugged glamor of condemns the sin and the sinner and are more devout pioneers such as Daniel Boone and by sourcing Puritans than the individual. inspiration from the refined hunting culture in Great Hester’s punishment, assigned by her Britain (Rico 173). magistrates, is to stand on a scaffold for three hours with [16] Flipper believed that daily exercise routines called her shameful baby, and from that point on, to wear a “plebe drill” transformed the “most crooked, distorted scarlet letter A on her chest to signify her sin. The creature” into “an erect, noble, and manly being” (qtd. in purpose of the A is solely to differentiate between the Cusic 22). sinner and the innocents. When walking through town, [17] Flipper did see active combat in the Indian Wars visitors will know that Hester is somehow unlike the rest (1866­1891). Flipper and his troop pursued the Apache of the community without even knowing her story. By chieftain Victorio and his war party (Cusic 45). In one requiring her to openly display her difference, the skirmish, several soldiers were wounded and nineteen community forces Hester into exclusion. The entire Indians were killed. Flipper recorded later, “This was the community gathered around the scaffold to show their first and only time I was under fire, but escaped without solidarity against her and her sin, and to scoff and a scratch” (49). ridicule the sinner. An older woman, clearly influential among peers, disapproves of this punishment because she does not think it is harsh enough. She said that the church, the community, and Hester would benefit if the women, “being of mature age and church­members in Hester Prynne's Individuality in a good repute, should have the handling of such Puritanical Community malefactresses as Hester” (Hawthorne, 48). These “self­ constituted judges” are harder on Hester than they may Emma Pallarino be otherwise because they are her elders and are Rutgers University upstanding members of the church (Hawthorne, 49). They need to assert their authority over the younger During the nineteenth century, the theme of the woman in order to further elevate their standing in the individual in opposition to the community was prolific in church and the community. Not only is there an age gap politics, culture, and literature. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s between Hester and the older women, but she also The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, the bearer of the separates herself further by committing adultery. The scarlet letter, struggles with her community’s “shame” Hester brought to the church further inflames ostricization of her because she commits adultery, their hatred of her (Hawthorne, 49). In order to move resulting in a pregnancy. Although the isolation is difficult that shame from the community to the individual, they for her, she maintains her dignity through her sustaining must isolate the sinner. According to the elder women, strength. Although the community solely blames Hester since the magistrates’ punishment was not harsh for the sin because she is the mother of her illegitimate enough, they will have no one to blame but themselves child, Pearl, Hester is not the only one who suffers as when “their own wives and daughters go astray” E. Pallarino 22 (Hawthorne, 49). In the extremely devout Puritan Hester constantly accepts abuse when she community, sin is infectious. If the community does not could easily run away from her situation and the isolate Hester, other women will follow in her community. In order to purge her sin, she is required to treacherous footsteps. remain in Boston. She is free to leave and live where When the town­beadle brings Hester from the she can “hide her character and identity under a new prison to stand on the scaffold, with “an action marked exterior” (Hawthorne, 72). She could make a new life with natural dignity, … [she] stepped into the open air, with her daughter without the social and religious stigma as if by her own free will” (Hawthorne, 49). This and subsequent punishment. However, she has enough punishment is given to her and she must accept it, but it dignity and individuality to endure the abuse and is her dignity, which allows her to accept it gracefully. punishment. Because of this choice to stay, she is a Even as she faces humiliation at the hands of her “martyr” (Hawthorne, 77). Her sin forces her to relinquish community, she is not afraid to admit to her sin. As much her place in society. Her community is bound to take her as the community pushes her out, she pushes the status whether she agrees that her sin is bad or not, but community away from her as well. She stands on the she could graciously hand over her status to them. Her scaffold, and “with a burning blush, and yet a haughty remaining in the community – even if on the outskirts – smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked and wearing the letter A maintains her dignity. around at her townspeople and neighbours” Hester’s graceful acceptance of her punishment (Hawthorne, 50). She understands her sin, but she to stand on the scaffold even though it makes her reclaims the power to ostracize herself by acting as if extremely vulnerable and uncomfortable shows her she is not afraid. If she were embarrassed, ashamed or strength. From this strength comes her dignity. She is uncomfortable, they would be able to make her feel embarrassed of the A, but still wears it in elaborate form. worse. But her outward display of dignity shows her Throughout the years, she still goes to the marketplace, extreme individuality. If she begged for their forgiveness embroiders linens for people, and is kind to her daughter or acted ashamed to try to regain admission into the – the most consistent and obvious proof of her sin. community, whether or not they accepted her, she would Although she is confined to the outskirts of the not be an individual. She is not conforming to their community, she still interacts as much as she can. All of standards: a sinless woman, or, if a sinner, remorseful these qualities require strength and dignity and ashamed. While exploring the woods, Pearl throws flowers This scarlet letter A on her bosom symbolizes at Hester’s letter A. Hester’s “first motion [is] to cover her her sin and the life of repentance she must endure bosom with her clasped hands. But, whether from pride because of her indiscretion. However, Hester made her or resignation…she resisted the impulse, and sat erect, letter in “fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate pale as death” allowing the child to continue her game embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread.” It (Hawthorne, 87). The flowers ironically represent her looked as though it was “greatly beyond what was lost virginity. Pearl, the result of Hester’s lost virginity, allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony” constantly reminds Hester of her sinful loss. The child (Hawthorne, 50). By wearing the symbol at all and then laughs devilishly, “dancing up and down, like a little elf, making it ornate, Hester shirks many social norms and whenever she hit the scarlet letter” (Hawthorne, 87), but expectations: she admits her sin and proves she is not Hester sits there and takes it out of “pride” or ashamed, she expresses her creativity and individuality, “resignation” because what is done cannot be undone. and she wears something that appears to be more Since Pearl is the direct result of Hester’s sin, expensive than what is socially acceptable to spend on Pearl is guilty by extension. Hester was beautiful and personal items. Not only is her letter ornate, but it also she performed the miracle of giving birth, but seems to mystically “take her out of the ordinary unfortunately, the birth had a “taint of deepest sin in the relations with humanity, and enclose her in a sphere by most sacred quality of human life.” Because of this sin, herself” (Hawthorne, 51). Because she wears her badge instead of the world benefitting from Pearl’s birth as with of dishonor with dignity and the community views it with other children, “the world was only the darker…and the disdain and relief that her soul is the condemned and more lost for the infant that [Hester] had borne” not theirs, people cannot relate to her because she (Hawthorne, 53).
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